Alla Cacciatora ~ Brainy Italian Chicken Cacciatore...

Cooking 'cacciatore' means cooking 'hunter style'. In Italian cuisine, alla cacciatora refers to a dish that has been prepared "hunter-style" and that means with onions, tomatoes, red peppers, green olives,and herbs not to mention if you dried fruits like plums.

For this dish, you will need to buy six (or enough for each dinner guest) chicken thighs with the bone in and skin on. A richer flavor will develop by having the bone in and skin; in fact, necessary for this dish to be truly authentic 'hunter style'.

Begin by searing the chicken thighs skin side down in olive oil on high heat either in a skillet or even in the oven on 400F (use a glass baking dish if you prefer to oven roast). Turn over the thighs and brown the under side as well.

When it comes to cacciatore, the basic recipe (tomatoes, chicken stock, dried herbs and dried plums) is always the best; however, you can add whatever you like to the mix (red or green pepper, onion, black olives)... except for broccoli. Certainly, whether you roast in the oven or simmer in the skillet, make sure you have fresh whole tomatoes to add or quality canned stewed tomatoes.

Turn down the heat to med. (oven to 325). Add to the skillet or baking dish, the tomatoes, chicken stock and herbs: rosemary, oregano and mint along with garlic powder and red pepper flakes for zing but not necessary.  Cover and simmer for 40 min (oven time too) while you prepare a side.

Use a wide egg noodle pasta, or linguine or even mashed potatoes as your side. Once the pasta is tender, drain, rinse and then ladle onto a low lipped serving plater. Top with the chicken cacciatore.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Roman Style Pork Steak with Spaghetti Napoli Puttanesca....

Pigs are grown throughout Italy. It is the one meat that is found in all the regions of the country. One can find good pork on many menus no matter which Italian town you visit. And, Italians like a tasty pasta as a side served with their pork. 

A common recipe in Naples and Southern Italy is a richer version of spaghetti al pomodoro called  puttanesca which can include capers but not necessarily. What is necessary are: beef stock, dried herbs, black olives, purple onion, fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, pork sausage and good prosciutto all of which give the dish its unique, savory taste.

You will need: as many pork steaks per guest. Spaghetti pasta, beef stock, black olives, stewed or whole tomatoes, one purple onion, tomato paste, pork sausage (mild breakfast) and prosciutto. To begin, marinate 'pounded' pork steaks in balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, sea salt and dried herbs. 

Next, start sauteing silvered purple onion in olive oil along with diced prosciutto and crumbled pork sausage. When all are browned on the edges, add either four med. size (peeled) tomatoes or one small can of stewed tomatoes. Stir and then add 1/2 cup of beef stock. Add dried herbs: rosemary, mint, oregano, and about 4 tbs of tomato paste and the black olives (half jar) or leave out and use when serving.  Let this simmer while you prepare the pork steaks and pasta. 

Sear the pork steaks in olive oil using the liquids from the marinate. Once seared, place in a glass baking dish and stick in the oven (250F) while the pasta cooks in boiling salted water. When tender, drain and ladle into the skillet with the Napoli meat sauce. Top with parsley and serve with pork steaks. 

 Put out the olives and parmesan cheese...

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Brainy Wintry Weekend Breakfast...

Even when you aren't on vacation or can't get out cause you've been snowed in... just imagine sitting on a terrace with views of the Alps... what would you order for breakfast?

French toast using day old French bread rolls soaked in egg/buttermilk wash fried in safflower oil, smothered in fresh creamy butter and Vermont maple syrup... Above that, baked brie with homemade raspberry jam. Below, good ole steak and eggs and bacon cakes stacked!

*Go to Brainy Archives or check the right margin of this blog for pictured breakfast recipes...

Italian Goulash with Meatballs and Sausage on a bed of Linguine...

Good Food goes with good wine....

For this dish you will need: ground veal and mild Italian sausage (no fennel) and you will need fresh garden tomatoes and green/red peppers. Blanch about 6 whole tomatoes and remove the skin or 1 large can of whole tomatoes.

Wash and cut up 4-5 peppers along with one young dark green zucchini. Chop one whole onion and saute all together in olive oil. Once browned, add the whole skinless tomatoes to the onion and peppers. Simmer this for 3 hours until you have a delicious liquid... sauce.

Prepare meatballs: mix ground 1 lb ground veal (+ 1 egg optional) with 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, 1/4 cup of heavy cream, 1 tbs of grated parmesan cheese along with dried herbs: rosemary, mint and oregano, a dash of garlic powder and a pinch of salt.

Drop the meatballs into the tomatoes/pepper sauce (add some chicken stock if you need more liquid) which should be at a rolling boil. In the meantime, grill or pan fry 2 links of Italian sausage cut into chunks along with one diced tomato until slightly blackened. Boil the linguine in salted water. Once tender, drain and rinse.

Serve the drained linguine on large plates or even bowls, top with the meatball tomato and pepper sauce and add a few sausage chunks/blackened tomatoes. Top with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Roasted Pork Shoulder with Mashed Potatoes ~ American vs. Italian Style....

More winter time comfort food...

Roasted pork shoulder with mashed potatoes... the American version vs. Italian!

There is not a huge difference between the two versions. One version is served with gravy and a side of green beans and the other with red pesto and grated parmesean along with roasted celery root and Brussel sprouts. Its not that Brussel sprouts are more Italian than green beans, it just turns out that I like them more than other family members.

Let's get started. You will need: one medium size pork shoulder, yellow gold potatoes (two small per person), a vegetable side, celery root, red pesto and grate parmesan.  Season the pork butt at least 2 hrs prior to roasting. Use a combination of dried herbs: rosemary, mint, oregano, and sage, one clove of diced garlic (or garlic powder), coriander, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and sea salt. In a glass baking dish, drizzle the pork with olive oil, rub in the seasoning.

Roast in the oven, first on 400f until it starts to spit (15 min), then turn down the temp to 350 and roast for about 2 hrs. For the last hour, turn the oven to 325 and toss in some peel and cubed celery root. Pour in 1/4 cup of chicken stock, cover and finish off the last hour. In the meantime, prepare mashed potatoes and a green vegetable side.

When serving, top the mashed potatoes with either gravy (made from drippings of the roast) or with red pesto and grated Parmesan. One can even mash the celery root into the mashed potatoes and or serve separate.

 * Tutti a Tavola!

Winter Time and Comfort Foods ~ Go Hand in Hand!

Winter time ... comfort food.

This dish can be done in one single skillet and in no time at all. You need to have chicken pieces: legs, thighs, or breasts with skin on. You can do all legs, or all thighs or all breasts or a mix. Take from your pantry: one onion, chicken stock, flour, heavy cream, milk and one egg.

Begin by browning one chopped onion in olive oil and a little butter in your covered skillet on med heat. Once the onion is browned on the edges, add your chicken pieces. Season using generously: rosemary, mint and oregano along with a dash of red pepper flakes and a dash of garlic powder. Cook the chicken on med heat until all sides have browned nicely.

Next, you will need to add 1 cup of chicken stock. Cover and let simmer for 30 min. on low heat. Near the end of this timed simmer, prepare your dumplings. Mix 2 cups of milk with 1 and 1/2 cups of flour (use gluten free if you are on such a diet) 1 tsp of baking powder, and one egg.  I suggest you eye ball the consistency of the dumpling dough, it should be sticky but not thick, so go slowly with the flour.

Just before you drop in your dumplings, add 1/4 cup of heavy cream to the chicken bubbling in the skillet. You may also want to add a bit more chicken stock if you see that it has reduced too much. The dumplings will need plenty of liquid to cook in.

Turn up the heat to med high and drop in your dumplings, cover and let them grow up into clouds of yummy.

Test them to make sure that they are completely cooked through, they should appear light and fluffy not gooey. If the are cooked through, then ladle all that goodness onto a large serving plate.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Chicken Soup with Rigatoni and Red Pesto!

What's better than Italian ice and snow? ~ Hot Soup!!!

You know that chicken stock you made earlier this week and set aside to create soups from... well, now is the time to retrieve for the final soup of the week. This soup is very good and very simple to make. The basic ingredients are: Chicken stock 4 cups, 2 large chicken breasts (boneless and skinless), onion, garlic clove, red pesto and rigatoni pasta... arugula to top it off.

To begin, saute onion in a combination of olive oil and butter. Once browned, add 4 tsps of balsamic vinegar (4 good shakes from the bottle); set aside and prepare the chicken breast meat. Slice and or dice each breast into small pieces.

As the stock comes to a rolling boil, add the diced chicken and then add the sauteed onion, along with dried herbs: rosemary, mint and oregano along with a bit of sage and parsley.

On the side, boil in salted water one box of rigatoni pasta. When the pasta is tender, drain and ladle into bowls pouring the soup over the pasta topping with a dollop of red pesto and fresh chopped arugula.

*Serve with wine, crusty bread and cheese!